Woman hit by bus in Wellington

A woman hit by a bus in central Wellington this afternoon was
thrown several metres in the air, a witness says.

The woman was crossing Manners St, near the bottom of Cuba
Mall, when she was struck by the Go Wellington bus about
2.30pm.

A witness, who did not want to be identified, told APNZ the
collision made a "huge bang".

"She came round the corner from Cuba Mall and I was about two
metres behind her.

"She wasn't crossing at the pedestrian crossing, she was just
walking onto the road."

It did not look like she checked for traffic before stepping
onto the road, he said.

"There was a huge bang. She flew about three metres through
the air and then landed in the gutter.

"I think it was just one of those things where she just
wasn't expecting a bus to be coming along," the witness said.

The impact knocked her out for about two minutes, and then
she started "howling", he said.

"She was conscious, she started to struggle and things like
that.

"There was a lot of blood."

A doctor who was nearby stayed with her until ambulance staff
arrived.

The woman appeared to be aged in her 30s or 40s. She was not
wearing earphones at the time of the incident, he said.

Ambulance central communications team leader Marie Willis
said the woman was transported to Wellington Hospital in a
serious condition.

Police have closed one lane of Manners St while they
investigate the incident. The Go Wellington bus involved was
still at the scene.

NZ Bus said it was was notified of the incident immediately
through the driver contacting the central communication
control team.

"Regional Operations Manager Richard Graham was on Manners St
within minutes to help police and ambulance staff, the
serious crash unit investigation and to support the Go
Wellington bus operator," a spokeswoman said.

"In circumstances such as this, the driver is naturally very
upset and will be checked over for any signs of medical
injury or stress.

"The driver is not expected to work for the rest of their
scheduled shift and will be off work for the foreseeable
future."

The driver would also receive counselling as well as support
from family and colleagues, and would be monitored on their
return to work.